A nature moment with Ask Rula!

Hello, my people! It seems I have been AWOL for a while, so sorry! I have moved to the country! Long Island counts as rural, right? Along with fixing up the new (old) Chez Rula, I have been gardening! Or well, rather, watching the gardeners. Those guys need someone to bring them spiked lemonade, and hold their shirts for them when they get all hot and sweaty! But no matter where I am, people always seem to have questions. And I have answers! So let's get to a few of them right now, shall we?

Our first question is from Green and Blue, and she says:
Dear Rula,
This year has been both good and bad for my tomatoes. My plants have set a LOT of tomatoes, but it's already getting too cool at night for them to ripen. I enjoyed the few ripe ones I got, but what can I do with all these green tomatoes — besides frying them?
I'm so sad.
Signed,
Green and Blue

Dear Green and Blue,
Pickle them! I slice and pickle green tomatoes all the time. They're great on sandwiches! I usually just wing it — a little dill, bay leaf, mustard seed, sugar, vinegar and a pinch of salt — but here's a simple refrigerator pickle recipe for you:

Basic Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients - for every pound of vegetable
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Extras: fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, mustard seed, cumin seed, peppercorns, cloves of garlic, or any other pickling spices

Procedure
First, clean and prepare all your vegetables. If it's a veggie you normally eat raw, leave them alone. If not, you can blanch them in boiling water, steam them, or roast them. You want them edible but still a little crunchy — like me!

Next, pack all your vegetables tightly into jars — slice them up to fit. You can use old canning jars or any other heat-proof container with an airtight lid. You can also combine more than one type of veg in the same jar — but make sure the combination will taste good together because all the flavors mix it up in there.

In a small saucepan, bring all the brine ingredients to a boil, then remove from heat and pour the brine over the vegetables. Put the lids on the containers, cool them to room temp, and then refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating, if you can wait. They'll keep for about a month in the fridge, assuming they last that long!



This next question is from Probiotic Patty, and she asks:
Dear Rula,
As a middle-aged, smart-and-savvy woman trying to compete with thousands of millennials for low-paying jobs in the big city, I need all the help I can get. One thing I have started to do is try to take better care of myself, which means I am paying more attention to what I eat. There are those who say food can empower you, so I figured what the hell! I am now really into probiotic foods. Wondering about making sauerkraut, I looked it up and it seems to have only one ingredient. I know nothing about cooking and have seldom used my kitchen, so I was thinking this would be my speed. Any thoughts?
Signed,
Probiotic Patty

Dear Probiotic Patty,
You know what they say, "A woman with guts needs a healthy gut," so you go girl! Yes sauerkraut is indeed simple to make and really good for you and delicious on a kosher dog. But let's talk about what probiotics are first, ok? Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Here is a short list of best probiotic choices: yogurt; sauerkraut; miso soup; soft cheeses; kefir; sourdough bread; milk with probiotics; and sour pickles. But honestly honey, most of this is above your pay grade so let's start at the very beginning — how to turn cabbage into sauerkraut. This recipe makes 1 to 1 1/2 quarts and is very detailed, so pay attention!

Sauerkraut

Ingredients
1 medium-sized head of green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional, for flavor)
1 big mason jar (like 2-quart size)
1 smaller jelly jar
rocks or marbles to use as weights

Procedure
Clean everything. When fermenting anything, it's best to give the good, beneficial bacteria every chance of succeeding by starting off with as clean an environment as possible. Make sure your mason jar and jelly jar are washed and rinsed of all soap residue. You'll be using your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage, so wash your hands as well.

Slice or shred the cabbage into thin threads. Combine the cabbage and salt and start massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. At first it might not seem like enough salt, but gradually the cabbage will become watery and limp — more like coleslaw than raw cabbage. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. If you'd like to flavor your sauerkraut with caraway seeds, mix them in now. Then stop for a cocktail, darling.

Pack the cabbage into the jar with your hands, as tightly as possible. Place one of the larger outer leaves of the cabbage over the surface of the sliced cabbage. This will help keep the cabbage submerged in its liquid. Weigh the cabbage down — once all the cabbage is packed into the mason jar, slip the smaller jelly jar into the mouth of the jar and weigh it down with clean stones or marbles. This will help keep the cabbage weighed down, and eventually, submerged beneath its liquid.

Cover the mouth of the mason jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band or twine. This allows air to flow in and out of the jar, but prevents dust or insects from getting in. Press the cabbage every few hours — over the next 24 hours, press down on the cabbage every so often with the jelly jar. As the cabbage releases its liquid, it will become more limp and compact and the liquid will rise over the top of the cabbage. If extra liquid is needed, you can dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage. Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 10 days — as it's fermenting, keep the sauerkraut away from direct sunlight and at a cool room temperature — ideally 65°F to 75°F. Check it daily and press it down if the cabbage is floating above the liquid. Taste it and when it seems sour enough refrigerate and eat. I love sauerkraut with rice, it's like Jewish kimchi.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment here on this post!

Well, that's all for now, my little sprouts — all that sod isn't going to lay itself! Ciao!

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is what the Food 52 website calls a "genius recipe." These recipe are usually simple, have excellent technique are are delicious.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound green cabbage (half a large head)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 medium-large onion (about 7 ounces), peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Procedure
Remove coarse outer leaves of the cabbage. If you have a cabbage half, cut it in half again lengthwise, and then core the sections. Push each quarter through your food processor with the shredding blade attachment. Put the oil in a wide,heavy saute pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, put in the onion. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion has browned a bit. Put in the cabbage and stir-fry for about 6 minutes or until the cabbage has browned. Put in the salt and cayenne. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear caramelized and soft. Note: you may need to do this in a couple batches. Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Stir to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serves 4.

Asian Chopped Salad

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
So, the big question is ... can you eat well and still watch your diet? Of course you can! When I am watching my food intake, one thing that helps me stay satisfied is lots of chewing. This Asian chopped salad with edamame is a really tasty, cold veggie dish which has lots of flavor and lots of chewing — and even heat if you choose to make it that way. I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website — it serves 8 and each portion is 5 points for those of you who care. It has protein-rich edamame which I love. The points come from the sesame oil sesame seeds and the honey. As you know, veggies are free!

Ingredients
2 cup(s) shredded red cabbage   
2 cup(s) shredded carrot(s)   
2 cup(s) edamame (shelled), cooked and cooled   
1 large yellow pepper(s), seeded and thinly sliced   
2 average Serrano chile(s), seeded and minced (or less to taste)   
8 oz canned water chestnut(s), rinsed, drained, thinly sliced   
6 medium uncooked scallion(s), sliced  
1/4 cup(s) mint leaves, fresh, minced   
5 Tbsp fresh lime juice   
8 tsp toasted sesame oil   
2 Tbsp honey   
2 tsp ginger root, fresh, grated   
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt   
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted  

Procedure
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, edamame, both kinds of peppers, water chestnuts, scallions and mint. 
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, ginger and salt. Pour over vegetable mixture and toss to coat; garnish with sesame seeds. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving. Throw in some tofu, and you have dinner!

Lacto-Fermented Vegetables

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This week I had on my pal Aaron Joel Moskowitz who taught me about fermented veggies vs. pickled veggies and how easy and healthy this process really is. Here are the basic instructions for a simple vegetable sauerkraut.

Ingredients
2-3 large heads of red or green cabbage, shredded (save five large, outer leaves for cover)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 in. fresh ginger, crushed
1/8 cup sea salt
(Optional) hot pepper, green onion, broccoli, beet, etc.

Procedure
Place all the above ingredients except for the salt in a large bowl. Mix up and massage vigorously adding salt as you go until the juices start to get released from the vegetables. Put mixture into large crock or deep stainless pot, and push flat. Cover with outer cabbage leaves and brine solution made of 4 c water to 2 tbs sea salt. Tap water will spoil the fermentation process, so use purified water from the store that has no chance of having chlorine in it. Press the vegetables again and keep them under the brine by placing a plate or a lid on top weighted down by a rock or a jug of water. Cover with a clean towel if needed to keep out fruit flies.

Place the fermentation container in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow the Sauerkraut to ferment for 5 to 10 days. Various temperatures will create different tastes. Over about 72 degrees may reduce the quality of the kraut or cause spoilage. Check on it from time to time to be sure that the brine covers the vegetables and skim the top of any foam or irregularities.

A good way to know when it’s ready is when it stops producing bubbles and you are satisfied with the tanginess. Store in jars and refrigerate. Cover each jar with juice from the batch. The kraut should last several months.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Corn Bread Crust and Braised Cabbage

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Last Sunday I had a lovely dinner party with some of my friends and took the opportunity to try some new recipes. My husband and I love pork; some of you might remember that's part of why Jim married me, my pig skills. So I thought let's try a new way to cook pork tenderloin. I found this recipe in the Gourmet magazine archives, which tends to be a very trustworthy, well-tested archive of information and it worked perfectly.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Corn Bread Crust

Ingredients
1 one-pound pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 corn toaster cakes, crumbled, or 1 cup crumbled corn muffin
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes. Transfer to an oiled shallow baking pan. Add butter to skillet and cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in crumbs, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread mustard over pork and pat half of seasoned crumbs onto mustard, then sprinkle with remaining seasoned crumbs. Roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat registers 155°F, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check after 15 minutes to see if crumbs are getting too dark; if they are, tent loosely with foil.) Transfer to a cutting board, then tent loosely with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing (temperature will rise to 160°F). Serves 4.

I also found this great-braised cabbage recipe. Now some people think braising is some kind of scary, advanced technique. Au contraire mes amis! It just means cooking long and slow with liquid. Nothing to it! Give this dish 2 hours to simmer and it will be melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Braised Cabbage

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, finely diced or pear
1 head of cabbage, coarsely chopped or shredded, about 8 cups
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup apricot preserves or apple jelly
salt, to taste

Procedure
In a large saucepan, electric skillet, or Dutch oven, heat butter over low heat; add onion and apple; sauté for about 7 to 10 minutes or until soft. Add cabbage, pepper, vinegar, and preserves or jelly; toss to blend well. Cover tightly and simmer slowly over low heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until cabbage is very soft and tender. Add salt to taste. Serves 6-8.

The 11 Best Foods We Never Eat

This is from a New York Times article from this summer. It's worth thinking about!

• Beets Rich in folate (which is a B vitamin), a potential cancer fighter. Try some Jewish borscht, or make roast beets and add them to your salad.
  
• Cabbage Full of cancer fighting enzymes, Sautéed as a side dish at dinner, coleslaw is easy and great on sandwiches.
  
• Swiss Chard Full of carotenoids, good for the eyes, sautéed greens are super healthy, cheap to buy, and really easy to grow.
  
• Cinnamon May help control blood sugar and cholesterol. Put it on everything!
  
• Pomegranate juice Full of antioxidants may lower blood pressure. Eat the fruit, drink the juice, reduce the juice into a syrup and add it to your vinaigrette.
  
• Prunes Packed with antioxidants. Use them in Hamentachen or other cookie fillings, or nice to serve with lamb.
  
• Pumpkin seeds Packed with magnesium, which is associated with lowering risk of early death. As a snack or on salads
  
• Sardines High in Omega-3. Loaded with calcium, as well as B vitamins and lots of other minerals. It’s an acquired taste. I like the French ones packed with good olive oil and a simple lemon slice. On rye bread with a little butter, Heaven!
  
• Turmeric The superstar of spices-has anti-inflammatory and anti cancer properties. Put a pinch in your eggs or on your veggies, makes food golden in color.
  
• Blueberries Helps improve memory, if you remember to eat them! Great in baked goods, cereal, yogurt, smoothies, or as a snack.
  
• Pumpkin High in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A. Canned is available all year and so easy to eat. Warm and mix with some butter, cinnamon, and honey or bake a pie.

Chicken Fricassee with Red Cabbage

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Marcella Hazen is one of the goddesses of Italian cuisine and cookbooks. Her recipes are so authentic and well written ǿ I can always trust her. The only thing to watch out for in this recipe for Chicken Fricassee with red cabbage is the timing. Things cook differently at this altitude. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients
1 cup onions sliced very thin
1/4 extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
2 garlic cloves peeled and cut into 4 pieces
4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 pound)
1 3-4 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Put the onion, 1/4 cup olive oil, and the garlic in a sauté pan. Turn the pan to medium heat and cook till the garlic turns golden brown. Now add the shredded cabbage. Stir thoroughly and add salt and pepper. Cook at a low simmer with the lid on stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes till the cabbage is very tender.

Wash and dry the chicken pieces. In a separate pan, put the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear off the chicken pieces in the hot pan. Now place all the pieces into the pan with the cabbage and turn the chicken to coat in the cooked cabbage. Add the wine and a little more pepper. Cover the pan leaving the lid slightly ajar and continue to simmer for 50 minutes, At this point, the cabbage should have become a dark thick sauce, Adjust the seasoning and serve at once. Sometimes you need to add a bit more liquid as it cooks. That could be water or more wine. I go with more wine.

Shrimp Tempura with Cabbage Salad and Cinnamon Oil

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is a chef I will always have a special place for. He was a superstar in New York, and now the world. JoJo, his first restaurant, was so innovative — there he served French food, losing the heavy dairy, and adding Asian influences. He used vegetable-infused sauces and flavored oils, and changed the way we looked at high-end French cooking. His ideas are now so copied they seem like old hat, but at the time he was a rebel. This recipe is from his 1990 cookbook Simple Foods. Sometimes simple is best!

Ingredients for cinnamon oil
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon water
2 cups canola oil

Ingredients for salad
3 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Ingredients for tempura
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons water
large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups canola oil

Procedure for cinnamon oil
This needs to be made a couple days ahead, but it's super easy. Mix the cinnamon and water to make a smooth paste. It should be about the consistency of ketchup. Adjust water as necessary. Put paste in a clean jar and add the canola oil. Cover jar tightly and shake vigorously. Let jar sit for two days, shaking a few times a day. The spices will settle to the bottom. After two days, strain the oil through a coffee filter into another clean jar. This will keep in the fridge for a month. This procedure also works with all different kinds of herbs; coriander, mustard, paprika, etc.

Procedure for salad and shrimp
Toss the shredded cabbage thoroughly with the honey, vinegar, coriander, citrus zests, ginger, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least one hour.

To make the tempura batter, combine equal parts cornstarch and water and mix well. In a large pot, heat the canola oil. Dip the shrimp into batter and fry in hot oil for about one minute. Drain on paper paper towels, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Serve on top of salad, and drizzle with a little cinnamon oil.

Pierogis

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Pierogis make a delicious inexpensive meal. For those of you who don’t know, they are like an eastern European empanadita, or like a boiled-then-fried ravioli. Serve them with some Kasha or a bowl of hearty soup and you will have a great lunch or dinner. Here is the recipe of my friend Cole Chabon, who worked at the Warsaw Café in Philadelphia for many years.

Ingredients for dough
3 1/2 cups A.P. flour
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup water, more as needed

Procedure for dough
In a large bowl, combine flour, eggs, sour cream, and half of the water. Stir, beating the eggs as you mix. Gradually add the rest of the water, stirring till the mixture comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with your fingertips lifting the dough and dropping it down (the dropping is key to making a pliable dough). Take care not to overwork the dough. Knead till dough is smooth on the outside and slightly sticky when poked, about 2 to 5 minutes. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic, and let rest for 20 minutes while preparing the filling.

Ingredients for filling
3 medium baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut in 1-inch slices
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, more as needed
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about 1/4 of a very small head of cabbage)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano
1 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Procedure for filling
Put the potatoes in a pot with just enough cold salted water to cover them and boil until soft, 15 to 20 min. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage starts to soften and brown at the edges, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat and continue cooking until the cabbage and onion are nicely browned and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. You may need to add 1 Tbs. or more of additional butter, as the mixture will absorb quite a bit of fat. Set aside to cool.
When the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander and press lightly with a dry kitchen towel to dry them thoroughly. Return the potatoes to their hot pot and shake them dry. Remove the pot from the heat; add the cooled cabbage mixture, the cheese, and the parsley. Mash the ingredients until they're well blended and there are no more potato lumps; you may want to use a stiff whisk. Season again with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool while you roll out the pierogi dough.

Procedure to assemble
Fill a pot with water and bring to the boil. With floured hands, pinch off 1 1/2 inch balls of dough. This recipe will make 36 to 40 balls of dough. On a well-floured surface, gently roll each ball into a 3 1/2 inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Keep dough balls covered as you work so they don’t dry out. Hold dough in your hand, brush off excess flour and add 1 generous tablespoon of filling to the center of the circle. Fold in half and pinch dough together to seal, then do it again to be sure it's sealed.
Set on floured work surface and keep going. When water is boiling, drop pierogis in the water in small batches, stirring occasionally. When they float to the top, cook for 2 to 4 minutes more. To check for doneness try one. There should be no chalky line in them. After boiling and straining, it’s best to sauté them in some butter over medium heat till they get golden brown and a little puffy. Serve with salt and pepper, sour cream, chopped chives, and some caramelized onions. This is just one kind of pierogi. You can also try meat-filled, cabbage-filled, or even apricot-filled!

Braised Red Cabbage with Chestnuts, Apples, and Pancetta

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Cabbage is one of my favorite winter vegetables. From simple coleslaw like they make at Bobcat Bite, to wilted cabbage with onions and garlic, it always tastes great and it cheap and easy. But here is a recipe from one of the greats, Craig Claiborne, for braised red cabbage with roast chestnuts and apples. It's downright elegant, because sometimes Bubble and squeak just won’t do!

Ingredients
1 3 lb red cabbage
12 fresh chestnuts
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, diced small
1/4 cup diced onion
3 cooking apples (about 1 lb)
1 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 450. Shred the red cabbage and set aside. Score the chestnuts and place on a sheet pan and bake in hot oven for 10 minutes or until they open. Let the nuts cool a little so you don’t burn your hands, and then peel them. Heat the bacon or Pancetta in a sauté pan. Once the fat is released, add the onion and cook briefly. Meanwhile peel and core the apples and cut them into quarters. Add the apples to the sauté pan. Now add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage, salt ,and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the brown sugar, and the chestnuts. Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Now transfer the mixture to an ovenproof casserole or leave in the sauté pan and place mixture in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, till cabbage is thoroughly tender. Stir occasionally while cabbage is in the oven. Finish by blending in the butter and the vinegar. Serve hot with a nice stew! This makes 8-10 servings.

Classic Cole Slaw and Potato Salad (my way)

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is an early blog entry for those who are wanting to do coleslaw and potato salad for the 4th of July, I offer these 2 classic recipes:

My Coleslaw recipe

Ingredients
1 small green Cabbage
1/2 small Red cabbage
3 Carrots
1 Granny Smith apple
1 Macintosh apple
1/2 cup Golden raisins
1 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Dry Coleman's Mustard
2 cups Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Apple Cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Celery seed
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black Pepper

Procedure
This recipe makes 12 servings. It can easily be cut in half. The cabbage can be hand-cut or put through the slicing blade of a food processor. The carrots should be grated and the apples cut into a small dice (I leave the skin on for color). Combine all the dressing ingredients together and mix with the cabbage and fruit. Taste to adjust seasoning. It is best to make slaw a few hours in advance to give the cabbage a chance to soften.

My warm German Potato salad recipe

Ingredients
6 baking potatoes
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1 pound chopped bacon diced
6 eggs
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped red onion or Vidalia onion

Procedure
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water till tender and then peel and cut into cubes. Add vinegar and seasonings to hot potatoes. Fry up bacon till crisp and remove from the pan. Boil eggs till soft boiled (at this altitude, that's about 12 minutes). Combine potatoes with bacon and soft-boiled eggs and about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the chopped onions and scallions. Adjust seasonings and serve warm. Look on the bright side — there is no mayo! This makes 8-10 servings.

Four "No-Fail" Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Ah... food — like life — is all about the side dishes. Here are all my family secrets revealed in one show. My mother Bernice, who is currently unpacking, mastered one meal in her life and so every single holiday — from Purim to St. Patrick's Day — we always had the same meal, and we loved it. These side dishes are golden.

Raw Cranberry sauce

Ingredients
1 bag cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 –1 1/2 cups sugar
1 whole orange or Tangerine, seedless if possible

Procedure
This is so ridiculously simple. All you do is throw the cranberries in the food processor, add sugar, cut the orange — skin and all — into eighths and add to processor. Pulse a few times till everything is chopped up. Done. This is best made the day ahead.

Potato Nick

Ingredients
5 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
2 large onions, diced
Peanut oil or canola oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, and Hungarian sweet Paprika

Procedure
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water till soft. In the meantime, sauté the onions in oil, don’t be cheap on the oil. Cook them on a medium to low flame so they get all soft and sweet and brown. Then add enough paprika to make them a nice red-brown color. Now add a splash (it's all about the oil) of extra oil to the onions. Drain the potatoes well and then put them back into the dry, hot pot you used to boil them. Mash by hand with potato masher, then add the onions. If it is not smooth-looking, add some more oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Now take a 9-inch round or square Pyrex baking dish and drizzle a little oil in the bottom — this will make the bottom crust — and spread the potatoes into the pan. Flatten on top and drizzle a little oil on top. Sprinkle with Paprika and put into 350 degree oven and bake 40 minutes, or until top has a nice brown crust. Serve immediately.

My famous Cole Slaw

Ingredients
1 small green cabbage
1/2 small red cabbage
3 carrots
1 Granny Smith apple
1 Macintosh apple
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dry Coleman’s mustard
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Procedure
Cut by hand, or use the food processor, to shred the cabbage into small, thin pieces. Peel and grate the carrots and add to cabbage. Dice the apples, leaving skin on for color. Add the raisins. Everything else is the dressing. Combine in a bowl with a whisk and add to cabbage. Best made the day before. This recipe makes enough for 8-10 people, so you can cut it in half.

Baked peaches and pineapple

Procedure
In our house, we used to do this with canned fruit — after all it was the1960’s, and modern methods were all the rage.

All you do is open and drain a can of peach halves, and a can of pineapple rings. Place the pineapple into the baking dish (spray with a little non-stick coating first) and then in the center of each one add a peach scooped side up. Now drizzle with honey and crumble some brown sugar into the center of each peach. Put under the broiler for 5 minutes or until you smell the sugar starting to burn or caramelize. Now this year, I canned some Tesuque organic peaches and I am going to try this dish using those and some fresh Hawaiian pineapple. It’s got to be great!

Broiled Szechwan Tofu Salad

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Yes, even I eat and prepare Tofu on occasion, and when I found this recipe for Broiled Szechwan Tofu Salad in Pamela Morgan’s great book called Flavors from her gourmet foods to-go store in Manhattan (now gone), I knew this should be the recipe of the week.

Ingredients
3 pieces firm tofu, about 2 1/2 pounds, drained and patted dry and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
Handful of watercress
5 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
5 teaspoons Sambal (Thai red Chile sauce)
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Tamari
1 tablespoon dark toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian hot Chile oil (optional)
1/3 cup scallions, chopped on the diagonal

Procedure
Position a rack about 3 inches from your broiler and preheat. Cover your broiling pan or sheet pan with tin foil and lay tofu slices in pan. Brush both sides with peanut oil. Broil for 4 minutes and carefully, with a wide spatula, turn then over and broil on other side. Cook till lightly browned. Take a platter and cover it with 3 cups of shredded Napa cabbage and watercress. Top with slightly overlapped slices of tofu. Now combine the rest of the ingredients (except the scallions, which you will use as garnish), to make this spicy dressing. Drizzle dressing over tofu and top with scallions. Serve at room temperature.

Portuguese Stone Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Due to the extreme cold of the past week, my mind turned to a hot bowl of soup. A few years ago I made a soup book for my yearly Christmas present, so this recipe is from that book. It's a classic Portuguese soup called "Stone Soup". I'm not sure where that name came from, but there is no actual gravel in the ingredient list. This is a large recipe and serves 8 hungry people.

Ingredients
8 cups chicken stock
1 pound diced Spanish Chorizo (buy at The Spanish Table)
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium baking potatoes peeled and diced
1 14 ounce can ready cut diced tomatoes
1/2 medium Savoy cabbage, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
2 leeks, chopped and well rinsed
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Like in most soups, the procedure is pretty basic. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours adding more water as needed. At this altitude your liquid evaporates quickly, so keep an eye on your soup. No remote control cookery! The soup will thicken as it cooks. Stir occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving. This is a meal in a bowl... a little wine and you are good to go!